Let's talk STEM with Dr. Calvin Mackie and Guest Gerald Solomon, The Esports Guru

"Let’s Talk STEM" with Dr. Calvin Mackie

Gerald Solomon, founder and executive director of the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF), calls esports a “job machine" for STEM orientated youth on the new episode of the Let’s Talk STEM with Dr. Calvin Mackie podcast. Rapidly expanding electronic sports gaming platforms are preparing young people with the skills they need for the workforce of tomorrow. “It's a multibillion-dollar industry and there are all facets within it,” Solomon says, adding that he frequently tells parents about the opportunities for jobs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) throughout the esports / gaming industry.

“You may watch kids playing on a computer, but who built the game,” Solomon asks. “Who coded it? Who set up the event? Who created the networking? Who's doing the coaching? Who did the data analytics and used mathematics statistics to determine how to play better? Who's doing the streaming and shoutcasting, which is the play-by-play announcement? Who created the art? Who did the logos? Who did the marketing? Who did the business development on it? Who created the IT infrastructure? That's all STEM. And that's the future.”

Exactly, how big is esports?

Solomon says an event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn sold out 19,000 seats in three hours, but that's isn’t even the real story." The real statistic is more people watched kids play computers against other kids on the digital platform called Twitch than the total number of people that watched the Super Bowl, watched the NBA championships and watched the Major League Baseball Championship combined,” he says. “Imagine what it's like when you have an audience of hundreds of millions of people who just sit there and watch kids play on computers. That tells you the impact of esports gaming.”

Listen to our enlightening podcast to learn more.
Let’s Talk STEM with Dr. Calvin Mackie, a podcast series that features interviews with guests from all aspects of STEM – entrepreneurs, educators, corporate leaders, students – who will talk about the importance of STEM in their lives today. They are the mentors for the next generation of STEM leaders, models of success for others to follow.

ABOUT STEM GLOBAL ACTION

Dr. Calvin Mackie founded STEM NOLA in 2013. The New Orleans non-profit is committed to expanding STEM education, especially in communities of color. In July 2021, Dr. Mackie launched STEM Global Action, a campaign and network pursuing STEM education for children, parents and communities. His initiatives have impacted more than 100,000 students, 20,000 families and 5,000 schools across the U.S., and in five countries